Switch-throwing device



Oct. 8, 1929. T. A. GERLACH SWITCH THROWING DEVICE 2 Sheets-5heet 1Filed Jan. 11, 1929 Oct. 8, 1929. T. A. GERLACH SWITCH THROWING DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet. 2 v

Filed Jan. 11, 1929 fwerzzr Tfiornai/ZGarlac/l Patented Oct. 8, 1929UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS A. GERLACH, OF HARVEY, ILLINOISApplication filed January 11, 1929. Serial No. 331,736.

My invention relates to switch throwing devices and has for itsprincipal object an improvement which will decrease the likelihood ofaccidents occurring in the use of such de- Vices by the switch beingleft partly open or closed.

It is the principal purpose of this invention to provide in a device ofthis character, wherein a switch throwing device is adapted to beactuated by a throwing bar or lever,

means whereby, when the lever is once inserted to throw the switch, itcannot again be removed unless the switch is completely thrown in onedirection or the other.

It is also a purpose of this invention to provide in a switch throwingdevice of this character a novel means whereby the assembly of theswitch throwing mechanism can only be made in the proper manner. In degovices of this character, it is sometimes necessary that they bedisassembled and cleaned out because they are out in the open and exposed to all the dust and dirt and are furthermore subjected to severeusage by the op erators. Since this disassei'nbling and clean ing out isusually done by a person not pan ticularly skilled in mechanical work,it is es sential that such devices be as nearly itool proof as possible.My invention contemplates a simple and eii'ective meanswhercby thedevice must be assembled with the parts in proper relation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as thedescription proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings.However it is to be distinctly understood that I do not intend to limitmyself to the exact details shown and described, but that I intend toavail myself of all such modiwith part of the switch operating mechanismleft out for the sake of clearness;

fications would occur to one skilled in this Fig. 4 is a fragmentarysection of a slight- 1y modified form of device for accomplishing thesame purpose; and

Fig. 5 is a section on the line of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, I show at 10 a switch box whichserves as a housing or casing enclosing the switch moving mechanismwhich will be hereinafter more fully described. IVithin the switch box10 there are provided the sliding members 11 and 12 one of which, themember 11, is con nected to a switch connecting rod 13 and the other ofwhich is adapted to. be operated by means of the crank 14 when the crankis rotated about its pivots at 15 and 16 within the switch box. Theswitch device shown includes the spring 17 and is of the form commonlyknown as a spring box.

The details of the mechanism interposed between the members 11 and 12whereby endwise movement of the member 12 is transmitted to the member.11 through the spring 17, form no part of the present invent-ion andwill not be fully described herein. The detailed operation of thisportion of the mechanism is more clearly shown and described in mycopending application Serial N 0. 281,322, filed May 28, 1928, on aswitch box.

The crank 14 is, as described in my eopendin g application, adapted tobe rotated, in throwing the switch from open to ciosed position or viceversa, through an angle of slightly greater than one hundred eighty(180) degrees so that at either limit of its movement it is slightlypast center and backward movement is opposed by the spring 17 To actuatethe crank 1 1, I provide the quadrant gear member 18 which has thereonthe gear teeth 19 meshing with the teeth upon the pinion 20 on the endof the crank, the member 18 being pivotedin the bottom of the casing onthe pm 9. i

In assembling devices of this character, it is imperative that thequadrant 18 be properly positioned with respect to the crank it thedevice is to operate properly. This quadrant 18, in. my, device, isreadily removable when the cover 21 is removed by simply sliding themember endwise until it slides off the pin 9. To insure its properpositioning in the spring box, I provide on the housing the two guidinglugs and 23 which are located directly opposite the pin 9 and which makeit impossible to insert the quadrant 18 in any other way than in oneposition.

It is also necessary to have the proper position of the crank relativeto the quadrant, and to insure this I provide on the quadrant anenlarged gear toot i 24 which is adapted to mesh in the enlarged recess25 provided. atthe proper position on the pinion 20. This eiifectivelyprevents any improper positioning of the quadrant gear relative to thecrank, and makes the assembly of the device substantially fool. proof.The cover 21, it will be noted, has depending lugs 26, 27, and 28 forholding the cover against lateral movement within the casing 10 and thelug 23 pref erably extends toward the quadrant 18 a siiiicient distanceto form a guide for holding the quadrant upon the pin 9.

The other feature of importance in this device consists in means forpreventing anything but a complete throw of the switch moving mechanismif it is moved at all. Many accidents are caused by the partial orincomplete opening or closing of switches and it is with a view toeliminate such accidents that this structure is provided. ltconsists ofmeans, after an operating handle or lever has been inserted in thequadrant 18 to move the same, for preventing removal of the handle orbar unless the switch is in either open or closed position. Thisfeature, of course, is not limited to a spring throwing switch, but maybe utilized in connection with any switch throwing device of a similarnature.

To accomplish this result, I provide in the cover an elongated slot 29and a socket 30 in the quadrant 13. The socket 30, it will be noted, iselongated transversely of the quadrant 18 and is narrowed at each sideedge as indicated at 31 and 32 in Fig. 1 while adjacent the bottom it isprovided with a stop or rest 33 which the switch bar or lever 34 restswhen it is inserted through the slot 29. This bar 34 is flattened at oneend and widened as shown at 35 in Fig. 3 so that the side edges 36 and37 thereof will fit into the narrowed portions 31 and 32 and preventturning of the bar 34 after it is once inserted in the socket 30. Theslot 29, intermediate its onus, is of a width slightly larger than thediameter of the bar 34, but is narrower than the greatest width of theflattened end 35 of the bar.

enlarged portions of the slot 29, and that is at the opposite ends ofthe stroke necessary to give a full throw to the crank 14 and thereby acomplete opening or closing movement to the switch operating rod 13. Ifthe socket in the quadrant does not align with one of the enlargements38 and 39 of the slot 29, the bar 34 can neither be inserted nor removedso that it is impossible to leave the switch in anything but a completeopen or closed position without leaving the bar 34 in the switch box.These bars are usually carried by the motormen and will, therefore, notbe left behind by them.

In some cases it is not desirable to use an operating bar with aflattened end, and for such conditions I provide the modification shownin Figs. 4 and 5. In these figures the quadrant 18" has a socket 30therein adapted to receive a switch operating bar and on this quadrant13 are outwardly projecting lugs 40 and 41 thru which the bolt 42 passesto secure a gripping dog 43 in position. This dog 43 has a hollowedinterior at 44 and is provided with elongated slots such as indicated at45 for reception of the bolt 42 to permit a slight movement of the dog43 into and out of the socket 30. Spring 46 normally tends to press thedog into the socket to its fullest extent. Thus it will be seen that, ifa switch operating bar be insertedin socket 30, the teeth 47 on the dog43 will grip the bar and prevent its removal until the dog is released.

To accomplish this release, I provide on the cover 21 a depending cammember 48 which cooperates with the upstanding lug 49 on the dog 43 topermit the dog to extend inwardly in the socket while the quadrant is inbetween its two limiting positions and to re move the same at thetermination of the movement of the quadrant in either direction, the camsurfaces 50 and 51 cooperating with the projection 49 to accomplish thisresult.

In the description hereinbefore this device has been described inconnection with the operation of a switch between two limiting positionsnamely, open and closed, so that it can be left in either open or closedposition. In many cases, however, it is desired that a switch be onlyleft at one position such for instance as where a side or branch lineconnects with a main line, and it is desired to maintain the main lineclear at all times unless the train is coming in from a branch line, andthe operator of this train holds the switch open while his train getsonto the main line.

This device, it will be seen, is readily adaptable to switches of thischaracter since it would be a simple change to remove one of the barreleasing devices at one end of the throw of the quadrant, say forinstance by removing the cam surface 50, or leaving out the enlargement39 in the slot 29; whereupon it would be necessary, after the operatorhad thrown the switch in one direction, for him to again move the switchback into its original position before he could remove the switch bar.

From the above description, it is thought that the construction andoperation of this device will be clear to those skilled in this art;and, having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a member adapted to bemoved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to openor close a switch, and having means to receive a throwing bar wherebysaid member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slottherethrough through which said bar extends, and means for preventingremoval of said bar from said box when said member is between saidlimiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limitingposition.

2. In a switch box, switch moving mecha nism, a member adapted to bemoved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to openor close a switch, and hav ing means to receive a throwing bar wherebysaid member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slottherethrough through which said bar extends, and means on said cover andmember for preventing removal of said bar from said box when said memberis between said limiting positions, and permitting its removal in eitherlimitng position.

3. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a member adapted to bemoved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to openor close a switch, and having a socket therein to receive a throwing barwhereby said member may be moved, a cover for said box, said coverhaving a slot therethrough through which said bar extends, and means forpreventing removal of said bar from said box when said member is betweensaid limiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limitingposition.

4. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a member adapted to bemoved between two limiting positions in operating said mechanism to openor close a switch, and having means to receive a throwing bar wherebysaid member may be moved, a cover for said box, said cover having a slottherethrough through which said bar extends, and means on said cover andmember for preventing removal of said bar from said box when said memberis between said limiting positions, and permitting its removal in eitherlimiting position, said bar having a flattened end cooperating with themeans on said cover and member.

5. In a switch box, switch moving mechanism, a pivoted member adapted toswing between two limiting positions in operating said -mechanism toopen or close a switch, and having means to receive a throwing barwhereby said member may be moved, a cover for said box, said coverhaving a slot therethrough through which said bar extends, and means forpreventing removal of said bar from said box when said member is betweensaid limiting positions, and permitting its removal in either limitingposition.

6. A switch throwing device having a member adapted to move between twolimiting positions in opening and closing a switch, said member havingmeans to removably receive an operating bar for moving the same, andmeans cooperating with said member and bar to prevent removal of saidbar when said member is between its limiting positions.

7. A switch throwing device having a member adapted to move between twolimiting positions in opening and closing a switch, said member havingmeans to removably receive an operating bar for moving the same, andmeans cooperating with said member and bar to prevent removal of saidbar when said member is between its limiting positions, said meansincluding a slotted cover through which said bar extends.

8. A switch throwing device having a member adapted to move between twolimiting positions in opening and closing a switch, said member havingmeans to removably receive an operating bar for moving the same, andmeans cooperating with said member and bar to prevent removal of saidbar when said member is between its limiting positions, said meansincluding a gripping device on said member and means for releasing saidgripping device only when said member is in its limiting position. a

9. In a switch throwing device, a casing, means in said casing foroperating a switch. moving member, said means including a crank and aremovable pivoted member geared to said crank whereby said crank may beturned by swinging said member, and means for insuring proper assemblyof said member and crank comprising an enlarged gear tooth on one and anenlarged recess on the other. a

10. In a switch throwing device, a casing, means in said casing foroperating a switch moving member, said means including a crank and aremovable pivotedmember geared to said crank whereby said crank may beturned by swinging said member, and means for insuring proper assemblyof said member and crank comprising an enlarged gear tooth on one and anenlarged recess on the other, and guide means on the casing for guidingsaid member into position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day ofDecember A. D.,

THOMAS A. GERLACH.

